The Razor's Edge
by Richonne
Summary: The sequel to A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement. Rick, Daryl, and Beth move to Woodbury after losing one of their own. The town thrives, but Rick and the Governor become increasingly at odds on how the town is run. It isn't until the Governor kidnaps the leader of a small group and tortures her that Rick must make a decision on where his loyalties lie.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**: The sequel to A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement. Rick, Andrea, Daryl, Beth, and Merle head out for gas to move the camp to Woodbury. While out they encounter trouble in the form of walkers, and a savior in the form of a sword-wielding stranger.

**Pairings**: Bethyl

**Characters**: Rick, Daryl, Beth, Michonne, Andrea, the Governor, Shane

**Warnings**: Violence, sexual content

**Rating**: M

**A/N**: Richonne is coming, guys, but it's awhile away yet. I've got to build up to it and I want to do so realistically. In case the horizontal rule doesn't show, I've separated scene breaks with bold/italic text so transitions aren't so jarring or confusing. You can see this fic at my archive shippingdeaddotnet.

* * *

_**Merle Dixon's day had started off**_ stellar. He'd made a good trade with Mary, the woman who used to do the tokens for the claimed women before Officer Fucking Friendly had nagged the Governor into letting him boss every man in the camp around and tell him who he could and couldn't fuck. Goddamned Democrat. In exchange for a beaut of a hunting knife he'd scored while he was helping to clear Woodbury, Mary gave him a blowjob and let him titty-fuck her. Mary still had good tits and her ass was only a little spread out. She was hot for fifty-three, Merle thought, and had a nice disposition. She wasn't meek. No, far from it. Mary had sass when the mood struck her, and she knew how to wheel and deal. He thought she'd make it in this new, terrible world, being as practical as she was.

After his little morning trade with Mary, Merle loaded his gun and set off on a run with his little brother, Daryl, his brother's new woman, Beth, the snooty lawyer bitch, Andrea, and to his dismay, the bossy tight-ass sheriff, Rick Grimes, who'd once been in good with Shane Walsh. He decided he'd ignore Grimes in favor of staring at Andrea's rack and seeing if he could come up with a trade deal that would win him the chance to fuck _her _precious little sugar tits. He wasn't an idiot. The likelihood of Andrea Harrison allowing his dick anywhere near her body, with her full consent at least, was a billion to one. He thought she'd honestly choose a hard death to walker teeth than to fuck him. Still, it was a good fantasy.

Gas was needed for the vehicles if they were going to transport the entire camp, people and supplies, in one go from the quarry to Woodbury. That's where the scavenging groups came in. Rick and Daryl had chosen their group to go out and find gas to siphon so they could fuel the vehicles needed to move everyone. People were in the process of packing everything away, and the Governor wanted the scavenging parties to return that night so they could set out at dawn the next day. Merle didn't see that as being likely to happen, but they'd still try.

After having good luck filling nearly every gas can they'd brought with them from the camp they'd chosen to settle down near a river to eat the lunch they'd packed. Andrea, having decided she wanted some meat to go with their bread and beans, managed to wrangle a couple of fat trout from the river and Daryl had cleaned them. The smell of grilling fish had been good in the breezy air. The only thing that would have made the day perfect was a cold beer and some sunshine. Well, cold beer, sunshine, and not having chunks of his flesh missing from the three walkers who were chewing into him.

The day Merle Dixon died had started off a good one for him. It was just too bad it ended on such an epically shitty note.

* * *

"_**Daryl!"**_

_**Beth dove head first into **_the trunk of their car and locked herself in just as four walkers swarmed her. Had she been bitten? Daryl wasn't sure. All he'd heard was her screaming his name as he hauled his brother away from the clutching hands and snapping jaws of the walkers who'd knocked him down. Daryl saw the blood, he heard his brother's grunts of pain, and he knew it was over.

"Rick!"

Andrea was shooting, as best she could, the walkers who'd surrounded Rick. The sheriff had elected to use his knife, rather than his gun, to take out the walkers that swarmed him, but Daryl could see that he was losing the battle. Damn it to hell, there were so many of them. There had to be more than twenty, and they seemed to keep pouring out of the woods.

Fat, cold raindrops began tapping at the ground as he situated his brother under the tree.

"Get outta here, Daryl," Merle said.

"I ain't leaving you, brother."

Merle's mouth was filling with blood. His lip had a nasty cut but that wasn't the worst of his injuries.

"You got that pretty girl to take care of. You got your new friend Rick to look out for. You got a life left, man. Now get the fuck outta here before these things get you, too. Don't do that," Merle said, when tears began slipping from Daryl's eyes. "I ain't seen you cry since you were fifteen and you broke your arm in two places falling out of a tree trying to bag that twelve pointer. Don't do it now. Not over me."

Daryl took out two walkers that approached their tree. The cover of the low branches wouldn't offer safety for much longer.

"I love you," Daryl said thickly.

"I know you do. Right back at ya. Now, this guns got one bullet left. Don't watch me do it, and don't come back for whatever's left. Just go."

He didn't want to do it, but Daryl knew he had to leave. He had a narrow corridor from which to escape and the time to take it was now, or never. He clapped Merle on the arm and had no sooner turned his back did he hear the gunshot that ended his brother's life before the walkers could.

"Damn you all to hell," Daryl said, looking at the rotting corpses that moved toward his brother's body. He wanted to know they could feel fear so he could come after every single one of them and see it in their eyes as he killed them. But they didn't feel fear. They didn't feel anything but hunger.

With no other choice left open to him, Daryl Dixon made a run for it, planning to circle back through the trees and try to get to the car Beth now hid in, temporarily safe from the clawing, bony hands that sought to find entrance to the trunk and the young woman cowering inside.

* * *

_**Rick saw Merle go down. He**_ saw the teeth sink into flesh. He saw Daryl try to save the only kin he had left and fail in the attempt.

That was all he saw before the walkers began to overwhelm him. Was he about to meet that same fate? The idea of being eaten alive, as his family had been, made him cold right down to his soul. He often thought of what happened after death. Did the soul go on? He liked to think it did. Sometimes believing in the hereafter, and the possibility of seeing Lori and Carl again, was all that kept him going.

Like a damsel in distress in a horror movie, Rick tripped, fell back, and was forced to kick a walker in the chest. He heaved with all his strength and managed to use one to knock back two more, but two others were soon swarming in on him. Then something incredible happened. Their heads disappeared. First one, then the other. When their bodies fell he saw they were replaced by a woman in hood and cloak, and, chained to her, were two armless walkers with their jaws cut away. The woman had a sword in her hand, and she gave it a little flick to slough off some of the gore staining the blade.

"Get up," she said, in a husky voice. "There's a woman in a tree and a girl in a car that need help. Most of the biters are distracted by the dead man under the tree."

Rick wasn't sure if he was dreaming, or if the arrival of a sword wielding stranger with two chained walkers was real, but he got up, got a good grip on his knife, and headed into the fight with this strange new woman beside him.

* * *

_**The cool rain that blew in**_ wasn't quite enough to wash away the stench of dead walkers and the fish that had burned during the fight. Beth's stomach wanted to roll but she kept it in check. She was more concerned about Daryl. She stood with him now, on the other side of the tree where Merle's remains lay, her hands on either side of his face, trying to be a comfort to him as he cried.

"I'm so sorry, Daryl."

He pulled a handkerchief and turned away from her to blow his nose. He needed a few minutes to compose himself before going back out to where Rick, Andrea, and the sword wielding stranger stood talking in quiet voices.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked Beth, when he turned back to her. He was glad his voice didn't waver. He sounded stronger than he felt.

Beth nodded. "I'm fine. No bites or scratches."

Daryl nodded toward Rick. "Let's go see what they're talking about."

When they returned to the rest of the group, both Daryl and Beth avoided looking at what was left of Merle Dixon. In some ways it was a blessing he'd shot himself in the head. At least Daryl wouldn't have to worry about his brother turning and having to be put down.

Rick studied the woman who'd saved him, and helped him and Daryl take out the remaining walkers that had attacked. She was a striking woman in many ways. She was beautiful. So beautiful, he thought he could stare at her for hours without his eyes growing accustomed to it. She was damned skilled with a sword. In fact, he noticed she didn't even bother carrying a gun, at least not where he could see it. All she had was that sword and two walkers that she'd called pets chained and standing meekly behind her.

"So, with them beside you the walkers don't see you. Genius."

"Thanks," she said quietly. He wished she'd smile. He would have bet anything she had a beautiful smile.

"We've been standing here for ten minutes and haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Rick. This is Andrea. That's Daryl and his woman, Beth."

"Michonne," she said, shaking Rick's hand.

"You said you have a couple of friends that you travel with," prompted Andrea.

The woman nodded. "I started off at a refugee center but it got overrun. I went on the road alone and met up with this redneck bully and his wife and two kids last year. I wasn't sorry to see him go when he was bit. They've been with me ever since. We picked up a few people along the way but they didn't make it. It's still just the four of us. We're set up in a housing development now."

"If you want we can pick up your people and bring them with us," Rick offered. "We're about to head off to a new settlement called Woodbury."

"Thanks, but I think we're better off on our own," she answered.

"Are you taking people in? I want to come with you," Andrea said.

Beth looked at her in surprise. "What?"

Andrea hadn't even noticed that Beth and Daryl had returned to them. She took Beth's hand and said, "Ever since I broke it off with Shane he's hounded me to come back to him. The Governor has made it clear that he wants me for his own and he's going to stop taking no for an answer soon. I have to get out of there, Rick. I'm miserable in that group. This is a chance for me to get away. So how about it? I'm not afraid of hard work. I'll do my part to keep you and the others safe, fed."

"I don't have a problem with you joining us."

"Wait a minute," Rick objected. "We appreciate what you did, but we don't know anything about you. Andrea, it's not safe to go off-"

"Rick, I really doubt she's going to save us just to kill us," Andrea reasoned. "I'm a grown woman. I can make up my own mind about where I'm going. I'm leaving with her. I just need you to tell Shane and the Governor that I'm dead, killed along with Merle. I'm afraid if they know I just left they'll try to track me down. You know what would happen if they managed to find me."

Rick could see from the determination in Andrea's face that she wasn't going to change her mind. He knew that despite the change in rules in camp life was hard for a single woman. Rape wasn't as much of a threat as before but men would refuse to trade with a woman unless she gave sexual favors in return, and that wasn't something Rick and Daryl could police and put an end to, even if they did discourage such practices. If she wanted to escape that kind of life he wasn't going to stand in her way.

"If that's your decision then I'll support it. I'll tell them you're dead," said Rick.

"You're leaving," Beth said, gripping Andrea's hand.

Andrea pulled her into a tight hug. "I have to while I have the chance."

Beth said, "When you found me a few weeks ago alone, starving, exhausted and scared, you just took me into your arms and hugged me. You saved me, gave me a place to stay, and stood up for me. Thank you, Andrea. You've been like a sister to me."

"I am a sister to you," Andrea answered, stroking stray locks of hair away from Beth's face. "When I first saw you, all I could think of was my sister Amy. Having you in my life has been such a blessing. I'm never going to forget you. Daryl."

Andrea hugged him tightly and then kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry about Merle. I know what he meant to you. I know exactly what you're going through right now. It'll get easier to live without him in time."

"Be careful out there," Daryl said.

She nodded and then faced Rick. "Thank you, for everything."

He nodded, accepting a silent hug from Andrea, and then watched her head off into the woods with Michonne and her pet walkers. He wondered if he'd ever see either one of them again. They had almost reached the camp when he realized Andrea may not even know where Woodbury was. If something happened to her new group she may not even be able to find her way back to them.

The levity in the camp felt inappropriate to Rick when he, Daryl, and Beth returned with the gas Merle had literally died to get for their people. The tents were still erected, and a light drizzle had started to fall as the rain moved toward the quarry, but fires burned, people barbecued, and laughed, and anticipated starting a new life in a town where there would be streets to walk, apartments to live in, and walls to keep out the walkers.

Rick went straight to the Governor's RV where he found Shane and Martinez clearing up a card game since they were being rained out.

"Rick!" the Governor said cheerfully. "How did the trip go?"

"Not well. We got the fuel you wanted, but we lost Merle and Andrea."

"What did you say?" Shane demanded. He stood up, his face a mask of rage. Rick was on guard for Shane's fists to start flying.

"What happened?" the Governor asked, his demeanor much cooler than Shane's.

Rick recounted what had happened, omitting Michonne's appearance and her role in saving them from the walkers,. When he was finished he kicked his chair over.

"Why didn't you look out for her, man?" Shane shouted.

"Shane," the Governor interrupted. "Back off. It sounds to me like Rick did all he could."

"Yeah, he always does, doesn't he? Funny how his all is never good enough."

"You're grieving, so I'm gonna let that slide," Rick said coolly.

"Oh, fuck you, Rick."

"Go cool off, Shane," the Governor ordered. "Rick, you've had a tough day. Go to your RV, get some rest. We're heading off for Woodbury in the morning, rain or shine. It's a big job and you'll need to be well-rested. Dee, make Rick a plate, darling."

"Yes, sir," Dee answered. She was a middle-aged redhead that Rick suspected was doing more than frying the Governor's eggs in the morning. He wondered how long she'd last before she 'decided to leave' the camp.

"I should speak with Daryl," said the Governor.

"You may want to leave that till morning, Brian. Beth's caring for him right now."

The Governor nodded once and Rick started off for his RV.

He thought of Merle, a man he hadn't liked. His only redeeming quality had been his love for his brother. Now Daryl was in this terrible new world without any living kin, and Rick could relate all too well. Rick grieved for his friend, but he was also glad that Daryl had Beth to be a comforting presence as he mourned. He hadn't had a Beth of his own after losing Lori and Carl, so he knew Daryl was lucky in that regard.

* * *

_**Daryl's climax was the most intense**_ he'd ever known. Beth continued to straddle him for a long time after, holding him close, stroking his hair and comforting him with her touch. He'd had a rough night of shedding tears and terrible nightmares. Now he was awake and that was over, the bad dreams chased away by Beth's warmth and love.

He decided then that he wasn't going to cry again for Merle, mostly because he knew his brother wouldn't approve, but partly because it no longer had the same cathartic release it had in the night. His brother was gone. No amount of shed tears would change that.

"I'm here," Beth said. "Rick is here for you. We're not going anywhere, baby. You're not alone."

"I know," he said.

Even as Beth took her place beside him in the early morning hours of moving day, Daryl felt alone, and he continued to feel that way no matter how closely he held her.

* * *

"_**You ready to move out?"**_

Daryl and Beth had their tent packed up along with their other belongings. They'd been labeled and put into the back of a truck. The only thing they'd need to worry about were their pots, pans, and utensils, as well as any food they'd claimed. The tents would serve no purpose in Woodbury, where they would have an apartment of their own.

He nodded at Rick. "We're all packed up."

"The Governor's about to announce Merle and Andrea's loss, though honestly, it's probably already spread around," said Rick. "You can't sneeze at one end of this camp without it being a fart at the other end ten minutes later."

Daryl tried to smile. Failed. Rick understood.

"Here you go, Rick," Beth said, handing Rick a cup of instant coffee she'd gotten from the communal fire before it had been torn down. It was nasty, lukewarm, and strong enough to make the Styrofoam cup try to put up a fight in his hand, but it would do the job of waking him up.

"This damned rain won't move out," Beth said, somewhat grumpily. "We need some sunlight."

"Sun would bring humidity this close after a rain. I'd rather work in the cool," he replied.

She cocked an eyebrow in agreement.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Governor said, calling everyone's attention to him as he mounted the RV he'd called home for over a year. The caravan was lined up. All they were waiting for was to load into the vehicles and ride out.

Now that he had everyone's attention, he continued. Rick gave the Governor his attention and ignored the hateful stare leveled against him from Shane.

"We're about to begin an exciting new journey! Our man, Rick Grimes, found a town not too far from here, as you all know, called Woodbury. I have a feeling this town is going to be a blessing that will not only benefit us, but future generations. We'll have real homes instead of tents. We'll have walls to offer protection. We'll build a community. We'll start a pocket of civilization that will, in time, overcome the virus that has tried to wipe out humanity!"

The people cheered. Rick knew their exuberance was genuine. Sure, they all feared Brian Blake, but they also trusted him to keep them safe from outside threat. They didn't care to question how he managed to keep them fed and clothed, as long as he did it.

"This great day, however, is stained with a black mark. We've lost two of our best people. Merle Dixon and Andrea Harris."

He paused dramatically. Just as Rick suspected, most everyone in the camp had already heard, but a few looked surprised to hear the news.

"They were killed yesterday in a walker attack. They were swarmed while out gathering the gas we needed to make this move. They died working to get the resources we need to get our little camp to a new life in Woodbury. Their bravery and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Every year, from this year forth, we will name this day Founders Day. On that day we will have a moment of silence for the lives they gave to ensure we have a chance to begin anew, to reach Woodbury where we can grow, and thrive. God bless Merle Dixon and Andrea Harris!"

"God bless!" the people shouted in unison. They applauded, and Rick looked at Daryl.

His eyes were cold. He wasn't at all touched because he knew what Rick knew. When Merle was alive he wasn't loved or even liked. Most of the emotion was reserved for Andrea, who'd been well liked in the camp, and knowing she wasn't even dead must have been a kick in the gut for Daryl.

Rick clapped Daryl on the back. "Let's go."

Rick, Daryl, and Beth climbed into the little Chevette and waited for the caravan to move. Ten minutes later they were heading out, leaving the quarry they'd called home for a year deserted, never to look back.


	2. Chapter 2

**One year later.**

* * *

_**Rick was looking forward to finishing**_ his rounds and getting home to a cool shower. His feet ached, his back hurt, and he had what he suspected was the start of a migraine. It was the humidity and the heat. He was usually immune to it, but today it had really taken it out of him. Before he could go home to relax and enjoy his weekend off, he would have to make sure every street was empty of civilians in accordance with the curfew. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with anyone in the Hudson clan. As far as Rick was concerned, they didn't belong with civilized society. They probably hadn't belonged even before the Turn.

Richmond Street was the administrative center of Woodbury. Actually, Rick recently learned Woodbury wasn't even the original name of the town. It had been Thornton, but Bernard had changed it to Woodbury for reasons Rick would never know since the man was dead. The name had stuck, though, and the Governor wasn't about to change it back to Thornton. He just wanted to get to his office, which was located next to the old courthouse that the Governor had set up his home and offices in. He was headed that way to meet up with Daryl for an end of shift report when he saw the trouble.

Two men were circling Daryl. Rick recognized them as Matt and Joss, fraternal twins who were the worst of the Hudson family. Matt shoved Daryl, who punched him in the face. This angered Joss who attempted to jump Daryl from behind, but Daryl instead used Joss's forward momentum to shove him into Matt.

"Save it for the fights," Daryl said. "There's a curfew on, no exceptions."

"There's a curfew on, no exceptions," Matt mocked in a singsong voice, as Joss circled back around behind Daryl again, laughing louder than was necessary and drawing a blade.

"Behind you!" Rick shouted, seeing the glint of the blade off the dull light coming from the sheriff's office.

Daryl moved on instinct and Rick figured that was the only thing that saved his life. The knife went into the back of his right shoulder, rather than his back, sparing his spinal column, or his heart, any damage. Rick pulled his gun and took aim. He missed when Joss dove for the cover of the alley between the sheriff's office and the courthouse. Daryl barely made it five steps toward Rick before collapsing.

"No, no, no," Rick said under his breath as he rushed to Daryl's side to look at the damage. He was bleeding heavily.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The Governor had emerged from the front of the single story administrative wing of the courthouse where he kept his apartment, his gun in hand, his hair wet from the shower.

"Matt and Joss Hudson are going on here," Rick said angrily. "Call for Dr. Stevens!"

* * *

_**Beth paced the corridor outside the**_ doctor's office while Rick leaned against the wall, waiting for the Governor to return.

"He's going to be okay," Rick said for the third time. He was trying to convince himself as much as he was her. Daryl and Beth were the only two people he fully trusted out of the nearly one hundred citizens of Woodbury. The idea of losing his greatest ally, and his dearest friend, put Rick on edge.

"I know," Beth said, but she continued to bite her nails down to the quick.

"Rick."

The Governor had returned, presumably, from seeing to it the Hudson brothers were squared away in the town jail.

"Any word?"

"He's still in surgery," Beth said, her tone more aggressive than Rick had ever heard it before when she dealt with the Governor.

She knew of the Governor's insistence to keep the Hudson family in Woodbury. He seemed to have some kind of affinity to them, or perhaps, she thought, he just liked forcing Rick and Daryl to deal with them knowing they both wanted that hillbilly trash clan gone.

"Matt and Joss are in custody. They've been put behind bars until we can sort this out."

"Sort what out? Rick saw them attack Daryl!"

"I know you're upset but you're gonna need to watch your mouth," the Governor warned.

"Beth, go get me some coffee," Rick said calmly. She looked ready to revolt. After a couple of seconds hesitation she started off down the corridor.

"I saw what happened. Joss wasn't trying to intimidate or scare Daryl, Brian. He meant to kill him."

The Governor sat down on the chair and regarded Rick with cool eyes. "Governor."

"What?"

"Don't call me Brian. Call me Governor."

"You get off on that, do you?"

"Rick, you and I are at odds more often than not. Don't push me. This is my town, my word is law. The sooner you understand that the easier things will be for you here. Understood?"

Rick nodded, staring at Brian Blake with open disdain. The man was a megalomaniacal ass. He was cold and dangerous and Rick was three steps closer to wishing he'd just convinced Daryl and Beth to follow him with Andrea and Michonne while they'd had the chance.

"Joss meant to kill Daryl, _Governor_. It was attempted murder and I want him dealt with."

"Dealt with how?"

Rick took a deep breath, praying for patience. "He should be made an example to the people, especially that family of his. This was a lawless act and it has to be severely punished or the people are going to get out of control. You'll have chaos in the streets that no amount of arena fighting is going to put a stop to."

"You still haven't answered me, Rick. Deal with him how?"

"I'd say put him in prison for the rest of his life, but food is too hard to come by for that. I say we exile him. Put him out there in the world with the walkers. No supplies, no weapons. He's just out. After he takes a severe beating for his crimes."

"Beat him, weaken him, and then basically sentence him to death," the Governor clarified.

"That's right."

"No."

"He tried to kill a man of the law!"

The Governor didn't respond immediately. Instead he stared Rick down and made a show of lighting a cigar.

"I'll agree to the beating. That's all."

Rick snorted in disgust. "He tries to kill my deputy and you just want to whip him and let him go?"

"That's right. He's one of our best arena fighters and I'm not going to lose him because he's a hothead."

"He's more than a hothead, Governor. He's a threat."

"Some have told me you're a threat," the Governor said.

"Shane being that someone, no doubt."

The door to the doctor's office opened and a pretty, middle-aged black woman emerged with a bloodstained smock, pulling off latex gloves. Beth, who'd been lurking in the shadows, without the coffee, Rick noticed, rushed forward.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"He'll be okay. We had to transfuse him with a unit of blood, and he won't be able to lift anything or return to work for a few weeks, but he'll live. I don't think there will be any permanent damage," Dr. Stevens said, before smiling at Beth and allowing her entrance. "He's groggy, Beth, so don't try to talk to him too much. Only one at a time, please," she said, when Rick tried to move forward.

When Dr. Stevens shut the door behind her, Rick turned to face the Governor.

"I want you to know something, Governor. The next time one of those Hudson's steps out of line, even by a hair, I'm going to put them in their place whether you like it or not."

"You challenging my authority, Rick?"

"I'm gonna do my job. I'm gonna force those motherfuckers to respect this badge, to respect _my_ authority, and if I have to go over your head to do it, so be it."

Rick stood toe-to-toe with the Governor, refusing to back down, refusing to be cowed. Sensing this was one battle Rick had won in an ongoing and ever increasingly violent war, the Governor turned on his heel and walked away.

* * *

_**Rick overrode Dr. Stevens' objections when he**_ entered the office. Beth held Daryl's hand as she sat on the bed next to him, talking in a quiet voice.

"He's been through a lot, Sheriff," Dr. Stevens said.

"I know, but I need to get a witness statement from him while its fresh."

She shook her head and looked deeply dubious. "I don't know how 'fresh' his memories will be considering some of the drugs I've put into him to ease his pain. Still, you can try. Just don't take too long. I need to shoo both you and Beth out so he can sleep."

"Understood."

Rick pulled up a chair beside Daryl and looked him over. His deputy had seen better days. Despite the blood transfusion he was still white as the sheets beneath him and his lips were an unhealthy tan color. His eyes were shiny and hooded, an effect of the drugs in his system, and when he spoke he sounded as though he'd had a little too much to drink.

"Daryl, do you think you can give me a statement? I need to know what happened tonight."

"Ah…I was going to the office for the end of shift report we usually do..."

"Daryl? Stay with me. You said you were going to the office?" Rick prompted.

Daryl was so blitzed on pain killers Rick wasn't sure he even knew where he was, if he was awake or dreaming. Still, he'd try to glean what information he could before he let Daryl rest. Beth gave Daryl a glass of water and then wiped his face down, which seemed to help him focus. Still, when he spoke his voice was slurred and his eyes looked like polished glass.

"I was gonna turn the keys over to Curtis and wait for you. Matt and Joss came out of the alley when I approached the office. They just started circling me and then throwing punches. I fought back. Joss told Matt something like 'let's just do it, man.' Then they got really aggressive. I told them to save it for the arena. You hollered out and then I got stabbed in the shoulder."

Rick nodded. Beth's face was flushed from anger. "I swear to God," she said. "As soon as I see one of them I'm gonna-"

"You ain't gonna do shit," Daryl slurred. "They'll raise their hand to a woman in a second. I want you to steer clear of them."

"They tried to kill you!"

"Rick and me'll deal with them."

"Not if the Governor has anything to say about it," she told him.

"What does she mean?" Daryl asked Rick.

"The Governor just wants to slap them on the wrist and send them on their way. He claims they're good in the arena fights and doesn't want to kick them out of Woodbury because they're hotheads. This whole thing…it doesn't pass the smell test. Something's rotten about it."

Daryl nodded. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Rick also nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, you guys wanna tell me what you're thinking because I'm lost," Beth said in annoyance.

"This was a hit," Rick answered. "Question is, why would someone want to kill Daryl?"

"I can think of a few reasons the Hudson boys would take a shot at me. Shit, I've arrested them three times for disorderly conduct."

"Do you think the Governor was behind it?" Beth asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't make sense they'd send two men for Daryl."

"Yeah, thanks," he retorted, though tiredly.

"Not that you ain't dangerous, you are, but I'm wondering if they didn't mean for both of us to go out at the same time," Rick reasoned.

"Wait. If this was a hit, meant for both of you, then Daryl won't be safe here tonight," said Beth.

"Dr. Stevens doesn't want to move him. Neither do I. How do you feel about guard duty?" he asked Beth.

She held her hand out for a gun. "Give me a gun. Somebody comes after him I'll put them down."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Daryl said, and then began helplessly giggling. "I love you, baby. You know that? I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, and pushed his hand away when he went to touch one of her breasts. "Not now."

"God, you _are_ high out of your mind," Rick said, shaking his head. He pulled his clinch piece from the holster on his leg and turned it over to Beth.

"I'll be back first thing in the morning," he said. "No hanky-panky tonight. You need your strength, Daryl."

"I'll keep him in line," Beth said, and then took the seat Rick vacated.

"Dr. Stevens," Rick said, as he reached the door. "I have reason to believe Daryl's in danger. Keep this door locked and don't open it for anybody but me."

"If the Governor comes, I'll have to open it for him," she said.

Rick nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you would. Otherwise, nobody but me. Tell them the order is on my authority. I'll take full responsibility if the Governor, or Shane, gets in your face about it."

She nodded. "Should I be armed?"

"It wouldn't hurt. See you in the morning."

* * *

_**Rick gave up any notion of**_ getting his shower and some sleep. Instead he headed straight for the jail. He wanted a word with Joss and Matt Hudson before they managed to magically find themselves released from jail on either Shane or Brian's orders.

The Sheriff's office was humid, even with the door thrown wide open in the hopes a breeze would find its way in. Rick saw that only one lamp, which was hooked up to an old car battery, was burning. It was on low so as to conserve the juice but there was no one around. Curtis Porter, the officer on the night shift, was nowhere to be seen, and that was unusual for him. He was a prompt man who took his duties seriously.

"Curtis?" Rick asked quietly.

"Hey, man! When you gonna let us outta here?"

Rick went through the steel door at the back of the room to the row of five cells that had been set up long before the turn. The cells were closed off with bars rather than doors. Each cell had a tall but narrow window that no man, regardless of how thin, could squeeze through. Even if he tried, there were horizontal bars blocking the way that had been built into the wall. Matt and Joss had been placed side by side, unable to see one another but able to talk. Each man, Rick noticed, had his window open but the air was so still it was pointless. He didn't feel sorry for them.

"Can I get some water, man?" Joss asked.

"After knifing my deputy in the back? No," answered Rick. He leaned against the wall opposite the cells and studied the two men. "Where's Curtis?"

"How the fuck should I know?" asked Matt. "He put us in here and then left."

"Uh-huh. Y'all ain't got nothing to do with his absence. Just like you didn't have anything to do with stabbing Daryl."

"Daryl's a stuck-up cunt who had it comin'," said Joss, to the amused laughter of his brother.

"Yeah," Matt agreed. "He thinks he's better than us just 'cause he's got a badge. He ain't nothin' but uppity hillbilly white trash, same as everybody else in this town. I'll be goddamned if I let that ugly shit boss me around."

Joss suddenly lunged at the bars. Rick didn't flinch but that didn't stop Joss from laughing maniacally anyway and trying to rattle the bars like a crazed captive monkey.

"You two _are_ trash," Rick agreed. "Still, you've got a right to speak up in your defense. What happened tonight?"

Joss shrugged and plopped down on the cot at the back of the cell. "I ain't sayin' nothin' without some water. Goddamn, man, I can't fucking swallow. I'm sweatin' out in here. This is cruel and unusual punishment."

"Yeah, and I'm hungry, too," Matt said, grinning at Rick with brown teeth spotted in places with blackened cavities.

With a look of disgust on his face, Rick left the holding area and went out to the big bucket of water they used for the office. He brought back two large mason jars full of water and then stood with them in front of the cells.

Both Matt and Joss eyed the water with thirst, their mouths sounding sticky when they attempted to swallow.

"Come on, man, this shit ain't right," Joss whined. "We're thirsty. It's hot as hell in here. Ain't no breeze."

"Who ordered the attack?" Rick said. He held up each mason jar and poured out a sip. "Every time you don't answer a question, I pour out a little more.

"Ain't nobody ordered nothin', man," Matt said. "We was just funnin', that's all."

Rick poured out some more water.

"Aww, man. Christ Jesus, you're wastin' it!" Joss shouted, rattling his bars again.

"When this water is gone there won't be any more tonight," said Rick. "Who ordered you to attack my deputy? Or was the order for me?"

"We can't say nothin'. He'll kill us!" Joss said.

"Shut up, numbnuts!" Matt scolded.

Joss actually clawed at his throat. Rick understood the psychological impact of watching the water the other man so desperately needed just pouring out onto the dry, dusty floor. He poured out a substantial bit this time.

"Okay, okay!" Joss cracked.

Matt looked like he wanted to object but Rick could hear the man's throat literally sticking shut.

"Get us a full jar after this one and I'll tell," Joss said, holding his hand out for the water.

"Tell first, then you get the water."

He started to pour more out. Joss waved his hands wildly.

"No, no! Okay! It was Shane who wanted us to get you and the redneck cunt."

"Both of us?" said Rick.

Joss nodded emphatically. So did Matt.

"Hands behind your back. Try anything and I'll dump all this water out," Rick warned.

Joss laced his hands behind his back. Rick allowed him one gulp. "More, please."

"Not yet. I have other questions."

"What about me?" pleaded Matt. Rick gave him a drink and then stood back.

"Why did they want us dead?"

"No clue and that's the honest to God truth. He didn't tell us that. He just said kill ya. It's nothin' personal, man," Matt said. "He promised us a week off in the arena fights and he'd score us some pussy for two straight nights if we did it."

"And chocolate," Joss added. "Remember the chocolate, Matt?"

"Oh, yeah. The chocolate. We ain't had chocolate in ages and it's our favorite," Matt agreed, nodding.

Rick shook his head and handed the men the jars of water, which they gulped down greedily.

"Can we have some more?" asked Matt.

"In a little bit."

"Look, you ain't gonna tell 'em we told, are ya? I mean, Shane's a mean one. He really will kill us. He may even hurt our family. You know Karri. She ain't done nothin' bad. She's a good girl."

_Good girl my ass_, Rick thought as he left with the jars. Karri Hudson had damn near beat another girl to death for looking at her wrong.

Rick sat down at the desk in his office and leaned back in the chair, several questions running through his mind. Where was Curtis? Why had Shane tried to have him and Daryl assassinated? He could understand Shane wanting some kind of revenge on him for some of the things in their past. He'd known that Shane had been in love with Lori, even though he didn't believe anything had ever happened between his wife and Shane, he'd known how Shane had felt about her. Losing her had been the final straw between the two of them.

Shane, however, had always struck Rick as being the kind of man who would seek his revenge out in the open, face to face, not hiring two lame-brained hillbillies to try to assassinate him in a mission he'd have to know they'd fail at, and then squeal about when questioned.

Had that been his intent? Had he figured they'd fail and then spill the beans? Had he wanted Rick to know that he wasn't safe in Woodbury, despite how well the people liked him?

After getting the prisoners a refill on their water, and leaving the jars with them, Rick closed down the office for the night and headed back to Dr. Stevens' office. He didn't see Andrea being escorted by two guards, Martinez being one of them, toward the Governor's office as he headed in the opposite direction to stand guard over Daryl with Beth and Dr. Stevens.

He didn't see the fear in her eyes as Martinez pressed a knife to her neck hard enough to draw blood so that she wouldn't dare call out for help to the one man who could have saved her.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Andrea sat behind the table**_ and waited while her hands were cuffed. She knew the man who'd put the knife to her throat stood back and regarded her. There was something in his eyes. Regret, perhaps? She had never taken the time to get to know Martinez when they were all camped back at the quarry. She didn't know if he was a good man forced to do bad things, or a man who was once good but no longer cared if what he did was right or wrong.

"Please, don't hurt me," she said. "I didn't want to kill anyone but he was shooting at me."

Martinez shook his head. "The Lieutenant will be with you soon."

"You mean Shane?"

"Yeah. Shane."

"May I have some water?"

"No," was all he said, and then left the room.

Her sense of time was distorted. She didn't know if she'd waited half an hour or an hour. A second could go by like ten when sitting in fear. She'd Rick Grimes exit an office as she was being led in and she now cursed herself for not calling out. It would have been better to risk having her throat sliced open than what she feared when Shane found out she was alive.

The same went for Brian Blake.

_What kind of man is Rick now?_ Andrea wondered. Had life with the Governor and Shane changed him? Was he as selfish and heartless as they were, or had he held on to his basic sense of decency, even while sharing a town with monsters?

"Son of a bitch."

Andrea had been so lost in thought she hadn't heard the door to the office open. Shane Walsh stood there, staring in at her, his face a cocktail of open emotion. His expressions rapidly cycled between pissed, relieved, and pleased.

"Shane."

"You're not dead," he said. "Y'all get out. I need a little word with Andrea."

Martinez and the other man, one she didn't recognize, nodded once and left.

"Get rid of Curtis," Shane added. "Throw him to the walkers."

"You got it," Martinez said. He spared Andrea one last look before he left.

Shane sat down on across from her. He studied the marks on her wrists made by the cuffs and then pulled out a set of handcuff keys. He released her and she rubbed her hurting wrists.

"You're all bony now," he noted. "Life ain't easy out there, is it?"

She shook her head. "No. Food is hard to come by."

"Damn sure is. That's why I don't understand why you'd fake your death and live out there, scrounging for something to eat that ain't gone so bad it'll kill you. Taking the risk to drink water that could give you dysentery. You risked all that rather than live in a nice home here in Woodbury."

"I searched every map I could get my hands on for a town called Woodbury and never found it," she said.

"Place's real name is Thornton. I don't know why the fuck Rick told us it was called Woodbury but that shit ain't important. You tried to find us? You tried to find me?"

She knew what he wanted to hear. Perhaps telling him that she'd looked for him, that she felt something she didn't, would appease him and he wouldn't go too rough on her. She'd been raped more than once since the Turn. She could tolerate it again, but she wasn't about to lie. She was done with that.

"I looked but not for you. I looked for Beth and Rick."

She may as well have spit in Shane's face, the way he recoiled at hearing Rick's name.

"Not like that," she clarified.

"So, you never screwed Rick?"

"No, Shane, I never screwed Rick. Look, this isn't about us."

"Like hell it ain't!" he shouted, and slammed his fist down on the table. She jumped back and waited to see what would happen next. She expected to take at least one good, hard slap, but Shane kept his hands to himself.

"I grieved for you," he said. "I fucking…Goddamn you, Andrea. Why, huh? Why ask Rick to tell us you was dead?"

"I was afraid you would look for me."

"Damn right I would have looked for you. It's dangerous out there. I wasn't gonna have my woman running around-"

"I'm not your woman, Shane. I ended things with you clean and clear but you wouldn't accept it," she reminded him.

He nodded and got up, going over to a wet bar where he grabbed two bottles of water. He brought her one back which she drank down without stopping for a breath. He offered her the other, and she downed half of it before sitting the bottle on the table.

"So that's it, huh? You just break it off and fake your death."

"The Governor was after me too," she told him. "I didn't lie just to escape you, Shane. I could live with you having trouble letting go, but I knew Brian wasn't going to keep taking no for an answer."

"You should have stayed mine. He wouldn't have bothered you then."

Andrea laughed bitterly. "Jesus Christ."

"What?"

"That attitude right there was a big part of the problem. I don't want to _belong_ to anyone, Shane. I'm a woman, not a fucking dog to be owned and passed around from one master to another!"

They lapsed into silence. Shane took his own bottle of water and sat back across from her, studying her.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Do to you? God, Andrea, I can't believe you'd ask me that. I ain't gonna do shit to you. As for the Governor, I have no idea. I know he ain't gonna be happy when he finds out you had Rick lie about your death."

"Don't do anything to Rick. He was only trying to help out a friend."

"Is Merle really dead? Did you go off with him and-"

Andrea began laughing. "Oh, my God. Yes, Shane, you've got me all figured out. I left you to run away with Merle Dixon. We've got a kid, a cat, and a little house about ten miles from here. He's at home with the baby baking pies and changing diapers while I'm out looking for food. Are you fucking serious?"

"Hey, Rick lied about you. For all I know Merle's as alive as you are."

"Merle really is dead. He was killed by walkers that day. I just asked them to stretch the truth."

Shane was smiling at her now, which surprised, and scared, Andrea. "What?"

"You're so goddamn sassy, girl. I love that about you."

"If you're so fond of me let me go."

"And have the Governor put a bullet in my head?"

"Brian loves you. He's not going to put a bullet in your head," she sighed, annoyed with the melodrama.

"He goes by the Governor now. Nobody calls him Brian anymore. Not even me," Shane informed her. "I ain't letting you go without his consent. Where you been, Andrea? Who you running with?"

"I met up with a woman the day Merle was killed. She saved us from the walkers. I asked Rick not to tell you about her. She's-"

"Black, beautiful, carries a sword?" Shane asked.

Andrea's stomach clenched. "How do you know that?"

"Because we got her, too. Caught her just a few minutes after you were brought in. She was trying to sneak in. I guess to rescue you," he said. "The Governor's with her now. I'm guessing he'll want a word with you after he's finished talking to her."

Andrea leaned forward and took Shane's hand in hers. "I know that man well enough to know that he doesn't just talk to prisoners, Shane. What's he really doing to her?"

"He's interrogating her. We'll leave it at that. Get comfortable. You'll stay in this office until he's ready to see you."

"Shane, I'm begging you-you can't let him hurt her-"

"You lost your right to make demands of me when you had Rick tell me you were dead," Shane said, not looking back at her. He pulled the door shut. Andrea tried the windows as soon as he was gone. Unsurprisingly, they were all sealed shut.

* * *

_**Rick wasn't even aware he was**_ drifting off when the sound of Daryl and Beth's voices roused him from sleep. Daryl sounded like his old self again, and he was pissed off.

"Son of a bitch tried to kill me," he said.

Yeah, the painkillers had worn off.

A quick glance at the clock told him it was two-thirty in the morning.

"Which one actually shanked me?"

"Joss," Beth answered.

"Well, you wait till I heal up. Soon as I'm back to one hundred percent I'm gonna return the favor. 'Cept it'll be in his chest instead of his fucking shoulder."

"Rick?"

Dr. Stevens was still awake. She had bags forming under her eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Shane's here for you."

"Okay. You get some sleep in that other bed. Tell Daryl and Beth to pipe down."

She nodded, looking grateful, and then headed off to get some rest.

Shane stood out in the hallway, pacing. "What took you so long, man?"

"I've been up late. I had to interrogate the Hudson brothers. They told me how you put a hit out on me and Daryl. If you wanna do me the favor of killing them for squealing go right ahead. In the meantime, if you want to kill me, do it yourself."

"I ain't put no fucking hit out on you. When the day comes that I truly want you dead, you'd best believe it'll be my hand that ends your life, face-to-face."

They stared one another down and Rick believed him.

"So you didn't promise them a week off from the arena fights, to score some pussy for them for a couple of nights. And chocolate. We can't forget the fucking chocolate. You're telling me that wasn't you?"

Shane snorted. "Pussy and chocolate. Are you fucking serious?"

It did sound ridiculous, at least as far as Shane went. If Shane had wanted him dead, he would have come at Rick directly. No, this was somebody else's doing, and Rick was convinced it was the Governor.

"What do you want, Shane?"

"A cup of coffee wouldn't kill me."

"Fine."

Rick went to the other end of the hall, where the light was burned out, and poured two cups of coffee from the percolator. He brought a cup back to Shane who sipped it and grimaced.

"I take that back. This shit just might kill me. It's hot and it's kicking it's way down," he said.

"I can't believe you'd come here for small talk. Unless you're distracting me so a couple of assassins can sneak in through the window in there and murder Daryl, Beth, and Dr. Stevens."

"Rick, how long you known me, man?"

"Since we were ten."

Shane nodded. "In all that time, have you ever known me to have anybody, and I mean _anybody_, do my business for me?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"Then stop with this assassin bullshit."

"Gladly, if you'll just tell me what you want."

Shane heaved a deep breath, sipped his coffee, and looked everywhere but at Rick. Finally he said, "I loved Lori. I was head over heels in love with her."

"I know."

"Did you?"

"How could I not, Shane? You're an open book. I saw the way you'd look at her. You trying to tell me you slept with my wife or something?"

"I did, actually."

Everything in Rick turned white hot with rage. It was strange that he could feel that way and remain so calm.

"When the Turn first happened and you got shot, we both thought you weren't gonna make it. You were in a coma while we were all holed up in that hospital. When we had to run to the refugee center we just…it just happened, all right? We were both scared and thinking any second would be the last and that you were gonna die in that hospital. Lori felt god awful about it. She even hated me a little bit for it. You recovered, found us, we went on the run and then…well, you know what happened from then out. Lori and Carl gave me a reason not to eat a bullet, Rick, and then you came back and took them away. Then you let them get eaten by that herd."

Shane stared at the wall. Inside, Rick's anger cooled with miraculous speed. Now he was just tired and he was shocked to realize he really wasn't surprised that Shane and Lori had slept together. He knew she loved him and he knew that when he came back she didn't let Shane touch her again. He didn't even need Shane to validate that belief.

"You think I don't hate myself as much as you do for what happened to her and Carl?"

"Yeah, I know you do."

Shane looked at the floor, his shoulders suddenly looking bony and small, rather than wide and strong like Rick knew them to be.

"I blame myself too," he said. "I should have done something more to save them."

"You did all you could. We both did all we could, all we thought was right. Turns out we were wrong."

"Don't try to comfort me, Rick. We're past that shit."

"Actually, you son-of-a-bitch, I'm comforting myself."

Shane laughed. Rick was surprised to hear a laugh come from his own lips.

"Things are going on here, Rick. Bad things. You ain't gonna last long. Somebody, and we both know who it is, wants you dead. You stay here too much longer then it'll only be a matter of time before he gets what he wants."

"You ain't one of them?"

"It surprises me to say that, as of now, no. I ain't one of them. You should get while the getting's good. Take some people with you before it's too late. This place just ain't for you, Rick. It never will be. You should know your man Curtis is dead. I found him a few hours ago, when the attack on Daryl happened. He'd turned. I don't know what happened to him. My guess was his neck was broken. Who did it, I can't say for sure."

Shane stood and handed Rick a piece of paper that had been folded over, and then strode toward the door, throwing his nasty coffee into a waste basket as he went. "I won't stand in your way. That's the best I can do."

Rick opened the paper and read what was written there. His guts turned to jelly when he saw it.

"Shit," he said, and ran back into the office to get Daryl.

"What's wrong?" Beth asked, when Rick came toward them. She could see it on his face, something big was happening.

"You're gonna have to get up, Daryl. We got trouble and I can't do this without you."

* * *

_**Michonne tasted blood. She let it **_flow into her mouth before spitting it in the direction of the man who questioned her. He called himself the Governor. She'd heard that name before. Andrea had spoken of him often. From what she was seeing of him now, Andrea had severely underestimated what kind of man he was.

"That's just rude," the Governor said, eyeing her from head to toe.

She was a strong woman. He knew she could take a lot of what he dished out, and he planned to dish out a lot. He usually had to wait until he broke up with a woman to have 'fun' with her. Now he didn't have to go through the bullshit of pretending to love one of the whores he bedded in order to get to this point, to the end of it all.

"Your name?"

"My name is Fuck You," she said.

The Governor laughed and leaned in close, putting one hand on either side of the wall that Michonne was chained to.

"I saw them bring in another woman. Didn't see her face, but I saw her back. She looks familiar to me. Really familiar. In fact, I'd swear I knew her if I hadn't been told she was dead. Do you know the woman I speak of?"

"Go to hell," she answered.

The Governor stood back. "I undoubtedly will, but not tonight. No…tonight I intend to go to heaven."

He unbuckled his belt with easy deliberation, staring her in the eye. She knew what was coming, and she was powerless to stop it. It was her powerlessness that thrilled him, that made his blood pump in his veins, made him feel like a god in the flesh.

He was just about to unzip his trousers when the door flew open, and Rick Grimes stepped in. The Governor heard the click of a gun and froze.

"Zip it up, 'cause that shit just ain't gonna happen, _Governor_," Rick said.


	4. Chapter 4

"_**You think this is going to**_ be the end of it?"

The Governor glared at Rick while he fastened the last cuff to his left wrist. Now he was chained in Michonne's place.

Rick ignored him and turned to Michonne. He looked her over. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said.

In truth, she was far from okay. She'd taken quite a beating before Rick came in. The Governor had satisfied his lust for cruelty on her before he could satisfy his lust for rape. She was grateful to Rick for sparing her that, but the pain in her body was intense, and she wanted nothing more than to fall to the floor and give in to the blackness that had long since turned her vision gray around the edges. She refused, of course, and remained tall and strong. She'd die before she let the Governor see just how badly he'd hurt her.

Rick led her outside the room and shut the light off, leaving the Governor to scream his rage in pitch blackness. As soon as the door was shut she sagged and he caught her. His arms were strong around her, and he held her against him, taking the slack off her weakened legs.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you," he said. "I knew he was cruel but I didn't think he'd torture and rape a woman. Now I know not to put anything in front of him."

"Andrea. He has Andrea somewhere. We need to find out where."

"I've got a man on it," he said.

To her surprise he scooped her up, into his arms, and started for the exit of the old garage where the Governor, apparently, had decided to hold interrogations, and God only knew what else, behind Rick's back.

"You don't have to carry me."

"You're in no condition to walk."

"You're my knight in shining armor?"

Rick grinned. "My armor is far from shiny but yeah, I'll be your knight, and maybe someday you'll be my lady."

He hesitated when she looked up at him.

"That didn't sound so creepy in my head," he said shyly. "I meant, maybe someday you'll save me and…um…well…"

She was laughing now. "Quit while you're ahead."

"Right. Good advice."

He put her back on her feet at the entrance to the courthouse. Beth opened the door to allow them in. Inside, Andrea hurried over to give Rick a tight hug. "Rick, it's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too."

"I saw you as I was being brought in, but Martinez had a knife to my throat. I couldn't call out for help."

"You're safe now. I'm going to get you and Michonne out of town."

Rick's eyes were drawn to Daryl. He was pale as milk and didn't look steady on his feet. A light sheen of sweat coated his brow and neck.

"You've got to sit down," Beth said, going over to him.

Daryl shook his head no. "What's the plan now, Rick?"

"Shane's not going to give me long to get you out of here," said Rick. "He said he wouldn't stand in my way but we've only got a few hours before dawn. Andrea, you, Beth and I will gather as many guns and as much ammo as possible. Daryl, I want you to see Michonne to the gate at Lee street. Don't let the lookouts see you until I get there. Both of you need to sit down once you get there. Rest as much as you can."

"Take this," Daryl said, offering his knife to Beth. She refused. "I've got a gun. You keep that for protection."

She kissed him lightly on the lips and then followed Andrea and Rick outside.

Michonne looked Daryl over. "You're in worse shape than I am."

"I got here on my own two feet. Rick didn't have to carry _me_."

He was smirking and Michonne felt her face warm with embarrassment. "He was just being nice."

"I've never seen him be that nice with any other woman," Daryl informed her.

With a dry expression, Michonne said, "Let's just go."

* * *

_**After loading a bag with as**_ many guns as Rick could scrounge up, and supplying each with ammo, almost an hour had passed. He saw Andrea and Beth half way to the Lee Street gate, told them to keep going, and then hurried over to Shane's apartment, where the light was burning.

Shane answered on the first knock, as though he'd been waiting by the door for Rick to come. "You got Andrea safe?"

"Yeah, she's heading toward the Lee Street exit. I'm going to go make sure they get out."

"You'd better get with them, Rick."

"I've given that some thought. May I come in?"

Shane considered it, looked to make sure no one was watching, and then let him in. Rick remained by the door. This was his first, and he thought probably last, time in Shane's apartment since they'd arrived at Woodbury.

"The Governor is tied up in Collins' garage."

Shane nodded. "That's where he conducts interrogations."

Rick halted and eyed Shane. "He's done this sort of thing before?"

Annoyingly, Shane gave a derisive snort. "Rick, you're so damned oblivious. You've been on your way out for a long time. The Governor hasn't had you in the loop since we fuckin' got here."

"How many people has he tortured? How many has he killed?"

Shane shrugged. "Gotta feed the walkers somehow, don't we?"

Rick's guts turned cold. He stared at Shane, unable to recognize the man he'd once called a friend.

"Why'd you come here, Rick?"

"The Governor once described you as his hammer. He said I was like a scalpel and I was to cut out the rot in our camp. I wanted to be that here, with you. I wanted to be the razor's edge that cut out the rot in Woodbury. I wanted us to run this place together. I thought maybe we could put aside our differences and do right by these people. I see I was wrong."

"Damn right you're wrong. We'll never put aside our 'differences', Rick. You think because we talked it out at the docs office that we were all lovey-dovey or something? It ain't the same between us now as it once was. I ain't your friend."

"And I ain't yours."

"Glad we got that settled."

"How many people have you let him murder?"

"It doesn't matter. One or a hundred, it's just as bad…in your eyes at least."

_Kill him,_ Rick thought. _You've always been quicker on the draw than Shane. Kill him, kill his man Martinez, kill the Governor, take over Woodbury. Make it a decent place to live_.

Shane seemed to know what was on Rick's mind. His hand had slipped around behind his back. Rick's hand was on his gun as well.

"When did the man I knew, and loved like a brother, die?"

Shane's answer was quick, as though he'd long ago figured it out before Rick thought up the question. "When you let Lori and Carl down, he died. This is what's left. This is what you created."

Rick nodded. He accepted that what stood before him was a monster, but he didn't accept that monster was any creation of his. "I didn't create you, Shane. You chose to become this. I could have gone down the same path because losing them hurt me more than it hurt you. Still, I'm a decent man. I'm a man of integrity. You can blame me till the day you die but the truth is, you are what you've _chosen_ to be."

"You've got five hours. After that, I send out a search party. If you're within ten miles of Woodbury they're ordered to shoot on sight," Shane said.

"Andrea, too?"

"Oh no. Andrea will be brought back here. I suggest you get while the gettin' is good."

Rick decided he'd do just that. He walked away, wondering if Shane would try to put a bullet in his back. To his surprise that didn't happen. Not a shot was fired. The streets of Woodbury, in the hours before dawn, remained quiet and peaceful.

Once he reached the Lee Street gate he ordered the guards to open it up.

"Sir?" one of the men, Rick didn't remember his name, asked.

"Daryl, Beth and I are escorting these survivors back to their camp, the Governor's orders. Open up."

Without question, they opened the gate. Rick decided not to spare a look back at Woodbury as he went through with his new group.

"We've got five hours then Shane's going to search a ten mile radius," said Rick. "If he finds us, we're all dead, so let's book it."

"Even Andrea?" Beth asked. She knew what her friend meant to Shane.

"No, not Andrea. Her fate would be a lot worse."

"Having to stay with him?" Andrea said. "Yeah…that would be a lot worse than death."

* * *

_**"Are you with me, man?"**_

Martinez frowned at the odd question as he rubbed his eyes, trying to come fully awake. "It's five in the morning, Shane."

"I asked you a question. Are you with me?"

"Hell yeah, I'm with you. What's going on? Is it Rick?"

"No. It's the Governor. Put on a shirt and grab your gun. Meet me at Collins' garage in ten."

Martinez nodded and Shane headed down the steps. Dawn was quickly approaching. He had maybe twenty minutes before the town started to wake up in earnest.

The heat was already climbing when he reached the garage where he'd seen the Governor drag God only knew how many women he'd bedded in, never to be seen again. That didn't include survivors the Governor didn't deem to be worthy of Woodbury. It was really just luck of the draw how those who'd been added to the population of the town had just come along on a day when the Governor wasn't in a killing mood. The only thing that kept the people from suspecting the Governor was a monster was that he didn't hunt among his people. He let unlucky survivors come in, only to spin a tale that they'd decided to move on, or had proven to be a threat to Woodbury.

Now the man himself was chained in a room that he'd once chained people. He sighed with relief when he saw Shane enter the stuffy, windowless room. His hands and feet had been chained and pulled out enough that he couldn't lower his arms all the way or close his legs. Rick, Shane noted, had left the Governor a chair to sit on, a luxury that had never been afforded the Governor's victims.

"I trust you killed that son of a bitch? Or do you have him waiting for me?"

"I let him go, actually," Shane said.

The Governor's face went slack with disbelief before he lunged at Shane. "You fool! Why did you do that?"

"I have my reasons. I know Rick, Brian. I know that he won't step foot back here in Woodbury."

"Get me out of these chains so I can send a team out after him and do what you should have had the balls to do, Walsh."

"That leaves only one obstacle in my way. That's you."

The Governor went still. In that moment he knew. It was over. He wasn't leaving the room as Woodbury's lord and savior. He wasn't even leaving it as a man stripped of his powers to be exiled by the man who was about to take over. His only hope lay in the loyalties of the man who'd stepped into the room behind Shane.

"I see," he said slowly.

"See, you're gonna have to die because I know you wouldn't just leave and start over somewhere else, like Rick will. You'll leave, and then one day I'll wake up to an army at my door, led by you. I don't intend to make that mistake."

"I'm here, Boss," Martinez said.

"Make a choice," the Governor said to Martinez. "Me, the man who saved your life, or Shane."

Shane smirked, right until he heard the click of the gun and felt the cold hard barrel at his temple. He froze, and stared into the eyes of the Governor.

"I thought you was with me, Martinez," said Shane.

"He saved my life. I knew him before I knew you. Put your gun on the-"

Shane moved with lightning fast reflexes. He knocked the gun from Martinez' hand and brought his left fist around hard in an uppercut that was nearly enough to put Martinez out. Nearly, but not quite. Martinez tried to fire but missed by inches. He kept firing, forcing Shane to make a run for the door, leaving the Governor chained up, but alive. He stopped just outside and heard the footsteps of gate guards hurrying toward their current location, thinking, perhaps, walkers had gotten inside the town.

"Kill Shane! Kill him on sight!" the Governor shouted.

"Fuck," Shane cursed, and took off just as Martinez stumbled toward the door, searching for him. He disappeared into the darkness but could hear voices. He could hear Martinez, the fucking turncoat, give orders to shoot him on sight. Soon those many footsteps were coming in his direction. With no other choice, Shane headed for the wall, past the confused guards who didn't know what was going on yet, and took off running into the wild of a world where the dead ruled and the living cowered in fear of their hungry wrath.

* * *

_**"Here it is," Andrea said, pointing**_ to a fairly well concealed car that she'd smothered in kudzu.

Four hours of walking, stopping only for a single break, had left the group exhausted, especially Daryl and Michonne. The sun had brought soaring temperatures and the recent rains had brought moisture that made the world feel like a pot of water which they were all slowly boiling.

A vehicle couldn't have come too soon as far as Rick was concerned. Daryl literally dropped and rolled to his back as Rick and Andrea worked to uncover the car.

"I'll turn on the AC," Andrea said. "The cool will help."

"Here," Beth said, putting his head in her lap and offering him some water. "Rick, his shoulder is bleeding again."

"It's gotta be hurting like a mother," Michonne said, even as she favored her own ribs. "I've got some naproxen sodium at home. It won't be as good as something like Lortab but it'll help. I'm gonna take a few and have a lie down myself."

"Appreciate it," Daryl said with a dry throat.

Andrea started the car once it was uncovered. It was a crimson Ford Taurus that had been new at the Turn, and they piled in. Thankfully the AC kicked in pretty quickly and soon they were riding in cool comfort away from Woodbury. Rick imagined Shane had killed the Governor by that point, and had scouts out looking for them a little sooner than the allotted five hours. He wanted Andrea, after all, and he'd find some way to get her.

"Carol's good with treating injuries," said Michonne. "She can take a look at his arm."

"Oh, no," Andrea said.

"What?" asked Rick.

"Shit," Michonne swore. "That's home."

Their home was surrounded by about fifteen walkers, all trying to beat in the door, and they looked like they were about to succeed.

"We need to do this as quietly as possible," said Michonne. "There's more, a lot more, in this neighborhood. They hear gunshots and we could find ourselves with a hundred of these things coming down on us."

Daryl was the first out of the car. "Stay in the car," he told Beth. "If you have to, drive off."

He nodded at Michonne and then grimaced as he lifted his heavy crossbow and began firing. Michonne went into the thick of it while Andrea and Rick pulled knives and went in with them. They made fairly quick work of cutting down the threat, all without firing a shot. When the last walker was dead, they heard crying inside.

"Carol," said Andrea. She began banging at the door, which was locked. "Carol! It's us! Let us in!"

The door opened a moment later revealing a tearful middle-aged woman with short iron gray hair. "It's Sophia!"

"What happened?"

"They swarmed us as we were coming home from getting water. We almost made it inside when one of them bit her!"

They entered the room and saw a girl of about thirteen years lying on a couch. She had a chunk of flesh missing from her shoulder. There was nothing that could be done for her.

"Oh God, Carol. I'm so sorry," Andrea said, holding the weeping woman.

Rick helped Daryl into a recliner and watched as Sophia took her last halting breaths. He felt the mother's pain as though it was his own. He knew exactly what she was going through. He also knew there was nothing he could say that would help, so he remained silent as Andrea held the woman and rocked her.

Then he heard a voice that made his blood run hot. It was a voice he recognized at once, but thought he'd never hear again.

"Carol? I've got a first aid kit here and-"

A boy entered the living room from the basement. It was a boy Rick knew all too well. A boy he'd thought was dead, lost to him forever. But he wasn't dead. He was here, alive, and staring at Rick with a look of shock that equaled his own.

"Carl," Rick whispered. "My God, you're alive…"


End file.
